Interview
‘We had a lot more potential which we didn’t quite capitalise on’ – Hodder assesses ‘reasonable’ Hitech showing in Shanghai
Leaving Shanghai with a single point, Team Manager Dan Hodder has admitted that Hitech left plenty of performance on the table and still have untapped potential to unlock.
Amid tight competition, Ava Dobson ensured that Hitech didn’t leave Round 1 empty-handed as she fought to remain in the top 10 and secure the final point of the Feature Race, meaning that all six teams scored in Shanghai.
Her teammates, Rachel Robertson and Wild Card driver Shi Wei, weren’t quite as fortunate. After qualifying P12, the former narrowly missed out on points in the Reverse Grid Race before an incident with Shi saw the pair retire from Sunday’s event.
Reflecting on the contrasting results, Hodder said: “I think overall, it was reasonable. I think we had a lot more potential which we didn’t quite capitalise on. I think what’s really (been) highlighted to us is how strong sixth to 12th place is – it’s a lot closer than last year.
“The racing in the Reverse Grid Race was really clean. We’ve just got to find that little bit extra to make sure we’re on the other side of the tenth in P6.
“It was really positive for Ava and I think you can see that her racing experience really helped her in both races – yesterday more so than the Feature Race. She did a good job, nice and clean, and raced close. There were some other drivers around her that have been doing a lot of Formula 4 driving so we’re pretty happy with that to be honest.”
The reduced margins mean that every tweak and error can have wide-ranging consequences, but Hodder appeared confident that the changes Hitech made over the winter will “make sure we’re where we want to be with drivers” in terms of pace.
Their next opportunity to take a step forward will come at Round 2 in Montreal, where the team will field another Wild Card alongside Dobson and Robertson. While working with three rookies presents a unique challenge, Hodder believes that the British squad’s extensive work behind the scenes will make the difference.
“I think (Montreal) will be a big challenge for all of the rookies, to be honest,” he explained. “I think the team will be able to help the most with that in terms of set-up.
“The important thing is to keep the drivers out on the track and keep them testing – don’t let the momentum die after this. Both drivers are very comfortable with being very close to the walls, so I think it should help us a lot.”